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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24136309">La Bohème</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mikauzoran/pseuds/Mikauzoran'>Mikauzoran</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>A Night at the Opera [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng - Freeform, Adrinette, Aged-Up (25), Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Awkward Flirting, Dorks in Love, F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Getting to know you, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Love at First Sight, Minor Angst, Mutual Pining, Pining, Snuggling, Spending Time Together, Talking, adrienette - Freeform, cat!Plagg</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 17:33:46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,937</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24136309</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mikauzoran/pseuds/Mikauzoran</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>She needs a phone charger, he needs her (though he doesn’t know it), and both of their lives need an overhaul. Neighbors Marinette and Adrien meet by chance one night and find everything they need and more in one another.</p><p>In which Adrien tries to flirt awkwardly, and it actually works. Marinette overreacts and overshares, and that also works. Plagg the cat is a good judge of character, and everyone lives happily ever after.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>A Night at the Opera [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1759210</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>66</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>271</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>La Bohème</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi guys! I'm Mikau. For the people I haven't met before: it's nice to meet you! Thank you so much for giving this work a chance. For those who already know me: thank you so much for coming back! It's always lovely to see familiar faces.</p><p>Enjoy!</p><p>Come talk to me on Tumblr: https://mikauzoran.tumblr.com/</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Come on, you,” Adrien chuckled as he tugged Marinette back by her hips, pulling her down onto the bed beside him.</p><p>She let out a shriek of laughter as she fell back onto their mattress, batting his hands away as he tickled her sides.</p><p>“S-Stop!” she gasped. “Stop!”</p><p>Adrien obliged, wrapping his arms around her loosely and leaning in to gently place a reverent kiss to her neck. “As my princess commands.”</p><p>She snuggled in closer, nuzzling his already tussled hair. “Only when it suits you to do as your princess commands,” Marinette snorted fondly.</p><p>Adrien pulled back a bit to face her. “What can I say? I’m mercurial,” he replied with a wink.</p><p>Marinette rolled her eyes but gave his forehead a little peck anyway.</p><p>“Come on,” he repeated softly. “The sun will be up in a few hours. We should at least try to get <em>some</em> sleep.”</p><p>Marinette hummed thoughtfully, gazing contemplatively into his jewel-like green eyes.</p><p>“What is it?” he whispered, voice on the edge of concern.</p><p>“Just…thinking,” she responded slowly.</p><p>Adrien’s brow furrowed slightly. “What about?”</p><p>“…Do you remember when I first came here?”</p><p> </p><p>“Dude,” Nino sighed heavily, feeling like he was on the brink of defeat. “It’s been a whole month.”</p><p>Adrien shrugged, not looking up from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scenes_of_Bohemian_Life">Scenes of Bohemian Life</a> by Henri Murger.</p><p>With another frustrated sigh, Nino turned to Luka, demanding, “Talk sense into him. Use deep musical metaphors or something. I don’t care how you do it, but just talk sense into him”.</p><p>Luka grimaced, looking at Adrien—listless and curled up on the couch with his book, seemingly indifferent to the world around him. He didn’t go out. He didn’t try to make plans with friends. He sat, day after day, in his huge apartment on the couch in front of an expansive window looking out on Paris, looking out on life…experiencing none of it.</p><p>Luka turned back to Nino, suggesting meekly, “Maybe we should cut him some slack? It <em>has</em> only been a month, Nino. He’s heartbroken.”</p><p>Nino rolled his eyes, arguing, “He didn’t even like her all that much. She asked him out, thinking he’d be one way, and she dumped him when he didn’t live up to her expectations. That’s her fault for not being able to accept him for who his is. <em>He</em> didn’t do anything wrong. I don’t understand why we can’t shrug this off and move on, find someone who can actually appreciate him.”</p><p>Luka clicked his tongue, beginning to lose patience. “Spoken just like someone who found his soulmate young and never had to deal with the anguish of a breakup and the resulting singleness.”</p><p>Nino took a deep breath and let it out in a slow stream. “Sorry. I <em>know</em> I don’t get it, Mec. That’s why I brought you.”</p><p>“Guys?” Adrien called from the couch.</p><p>Luka and Nino snapped to attention, whirling around to face him.</p><p>“What’s up?” Nino replied hopefully.</p><p>“I love you two, but could you get out of my apartment? I’m trying to read, and you’re being kind of loud,” Adrien requested emotionlessly, never taking his eyes off of the page in front of him. “If you want to sit in here and be quiet, that’s fine. I’d be happy to have your company, but what I don’t appreciate is reminders of how I’m apparently too ‘needy’ and ‘damaged’ to be in a relationship.”</p><p>Nino gritted his teeth. “I still can’t believe she said that to you,” he growled softly. “Mec, she has no idea what she’s talking about.”</p><p>“Adrien,” Luka called gently, attempting to switch topics. “Nino and I were going to meet some of our friends at Café Momus down the street, and we wanted to know if you’d come with us?”</p><p>“It’s going to be super fun,” Nino added, trying to sell it. “Come on. It’ll be good for you to get out and be around people.”</p><p>Adrien looked up and turned his gaze out the massive window that was the wall. He stared hard at the snowflakes drifting down lazily, painting the night in a white haze. Smoke puffed cheerfully from the chimneys lining neighboring roofs.</p><p>Adrien fiddled with the cuff of his sweater sleeve, rolling it down so that it almost covered his hand.</p><p>“It looks cold,” he observed neutrally before going back to his book.</p><p>“It’s not that cold,” Nino tried to convince him despite knowing it was a losing battle. “You’ve got a warm coat, and the bistro’s just down the street. It’ll be warm inside.”</p><p>“You shouldn’t be alone on New Year’s Eve,” Luka added, going over to the back of the couch to rest a hand on Adrien’s shoulder. “Come on. It’ll be good for you to get out.”</p><p>“Whadda ya say?” Nino prompted.</p><p>Adrien didn’t respond right away, and Nino and Luka took heart at the fact that he was at least considering it.</p><p>Adrien sighed softly and shook his head. “…No. You guys go without me. I’d rather stay in.”</p><p>Nino deflated with a sigh, slumping back against the kitchen counter.</p><p>Luka gave Adrien’s shoulder a squeeze. “We’ll stay with you. We’ll be quiet so that you can read, but we’ll stay with you.”</p><p>Adrien shook his head again. “It’s okay. I appreciate it, guys—I really do—but I kind of feel like being alone right now. Have fun at the café with the others.”</p><p>Luka and Nino shared a look of concern.</p><p>Nino stepped forward, coming up alongside the back of the couch next to Luka. “Adrien…do you really think that’s a good idea? I mean…you know how you get lonely sometimes, and with the fireworks going off at midnight tonight… You know fireworks bother you. Do you really think being alone is for the best?”</p><p>Adrien exhaled slowly. “I’ll be fine. Please go without me, okay?” He looked up at his friends with pleading eyes, silently begging for solitude.</p><p>Nino and Luka looked to one another with twin expressions of unease.</p><p>“Adrien,” Nino tried again, but Luka put a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head.</p><p>“Let’s go, Nino,” Luka coaxed. “Adrien is perfectly capable of making his own decisions, and he has our phone numbers in case he changes his mind and needs us to come back.”</p><p>With a fond ruffle of Adrien’s hair, Luka turned and headed for the door.</p><p>Nino breathed one last sigh and reached out to pat Adrien’s arm. “You could always join us later, if you feel up to it. We’ll probably be there until they kick us out.”</p><p>Adrien spared his best friend a small smile. “Thanks.”</p><p>Nino nodded. He gave Adrien a little wave as he backed away and turned to join Luka at the door.</p><p>The lock clicked into place, and Adrien felt like he could breathe more easily. It was so draining, trying not to do anything that would cause his friends concern.</p><p>It was better when he was alone and didn’t have to act like he was okay. When no one else was around, he could just lose himself in the pages of a book and let the hours slip away, carrying him farther and farther from the shattering breakup and his feelings of hurt and failure.</p><p>Adrien pinched the bridge of his nose, shutting his eyes and forcing himself just to breathe, to forget. He sat like that for a few minutes before he opened his eyes again and went back to his book, determined to leave his consciousness behind and melt into the story.</p><p>He had barely located the place where he’d left off when there was a knock at the door.</p><p>Blinking, he got up, wondering if Nino or Luka had left something behind and didn’t have their key on them. Without stopping to think, he opened the door and was surprised to find a petite young woman with oceanic eyes and hair the inky color of the sky on a moonless night out in the country, far from city lights.</p><p>Her eyes sparkled like galaxies as they widened in surprise. Her watermelon pink lips formed a small “o”.</p><p>Adrien couldn’t wait to learn what her voice sounded like.</p><p>“Oh my gosh!” she gasped. “You really <em>are</em> Adrien Agreste!”</p><p>Adrien blinked, jerked out of his trance by her exclamation. “…Um…. Yes,” he replied eruditely, no doubt impressing her with his easy way with words and scintillating conversation.</p><p>He tried again, hoping not to further embarrass himself in front of the pretty girl. “Yes, I am.” The sequel to his first utterance was just as gripping and eloquent as its predecessor.</p><p>“Sorry,” she squeaked, waving her arms erratically. “I must sound like such a weirdo. It’s just that I’ve only seen you from afar before, and I thought, ‘Oh, wow. That guy from my building looks like Adrien Agreste’, but it turns out you really <em>are</em> Adrien Agreste, and that’s just…like…crazy!”</p><p>Adrien nodded in agreement. “Totally crazy. I mean…what are the odds?”</p><p>She nodded vehemently. “Right?! Like…I can’t believe I’m actually talking to Adrien Agreste!” she laughed, but then her brain caught up, and she groaned, covering her face with her hands. “Oh my gosh. I’m talking to Adrien Agreste, and I sound like a total weirdo stalker.”</p><p>She looked up at him with pleading blue eyes. “I’m so sorry. I promise I’m not a weirdo stalker. I’m a fan of your father’s work, and you just really caught me off guard.”</p><p>Adrien shrugged, reaching up to place his hand on the doorjamb so that he could lean nonchalantly against the frame. “No worries,” he purred. “I have that effect on most women.”</p><p>Adrien finally managed to say something smooth, but seconds after the words had left his lips, he started to worry that they didn’t convey the image he was going for.</p><p>“Sorry,” he backpedaled. “I was trying to flirt with you, but it occurs to me that what I said makes it sound like I’m some kind of sexist womanizer, and I’m really not, I promise. I respect women. I respect <em>you</em>, and, yeah, a lot of women find me disorientingly attractive, but it’s not like I—” He winced. “—Sorry. That’s not to say that I’m assuming that <em>you</em> find me disorientingly attractive. I just meant…”</p><p>He covered his face with his hands and took a deep breath.</p><p>Lowering his hands, he smiled sheepishly, still managing to look slightly impish. “<em>You</em> are disorientingly attractive. May I ask your name?”</p><p>A charming smile stretched slowly across her lips, and a flattered blush tinted her cheeks. “Most people call me Ladybug, though, I don’t know why. My name is Marinette.”</p><p>She held out her hand to shake, but he scooped it up, bringing it to his lips.</p><p>“Marinette…” He savoured the syllables on his tongue, enjoying the taste of her name. “That’s beautiful…fitting.”</p><p>She laughed, her blush growing as she looked away. “Charmer. I bet you say that to all the girls who knock on your door.”</p><p>He shrugged. “Only the ones as pretty as you.”</p><p>Once again, as soon as the words were out of his mouth, he regretted them.</p><p>“Sorry,” he repeated. “I’m not very good at flirting. I <em>don’t</em> do this often. Girls don’t knock on my door, usually, and, even if they did, I wouldn’t automatically try to flirt with them. I’m…”</p><p>He took another deep breath to give himself time to mentally reset. “I’m Adrien. It’s nice to meet you, Marinette. I assume you had a reason to be knocking on my door before I awkwardly tried to chat you up, so may I ask how I can be of service to you?”</p><p>He gave a gallant bow, and when he righted himself once more, he found her smiling at him, seemingly intrigued.</p><p>He mentally congratulated himself on not screwing everything up too much thus far.</p><p>“Nice to meet you, Adrien,” she echoed. “What I was planning on saying before I discovered that you were Adrien Agreste was, ‘Hello. Sorry to bother you. I’m your neighbor from three-o-seven down the hall. Would you happen to have an extra phone charger I could borrow for a day or two?’”</p><p>Adrien blinked. “A phone charger?”</p><p>Marinette nodded, a sudden sheepish expression coming to her face. “Mine broke, so now my phone’s dead, and my roommates are all out of town with their families for the holidays, so I can’t borrow one of theirs, and the stores are going to be closed tomorrow for New Year’s, so the soonest I can get out to buy a new one will be the day after tomorrow. In the meantime, I have no way to get in contact with anyone, and I’m here by myself and super accident prone, so if I get hurt, I’ll probably die in my apartment, unable to call for help, and they won’t find my body for <em>days</em>,” she reported with a completely straight face, as if this were a totally logical, obvious progression of events. “…So if you have a spare phone charger I could borrow until I can buy a new one, that would be <em>fantastic</em>.”</p><p>Adrien’s eyebrows danced through a series of emotions before settling upon contrite. “I’m really sorry, Marinette. I wish I did, but I just have the one, and I kind of need it to charge my own phone.” He bit his lip, trying to think of a solution, some way he could solve this cute, quirky girl’s problem. “Have you tried the rest of our neighbors already?”</p><p>“Everyone on this floor,” Marinette sighed. “Either everyone is out for New Year’s Eve or not answering their door for a stranger. I guess I could go check the other floors.” She started to turn to go. “Thanks for your help, though, Adrien, and it was nice to meet you.”</p><p>“Wait!” He caught her hand and immediately felt his cheeks heat up at the contact. “…I mean…I can’t let you borrow my charger, but if you want to come in and use it, I’d be happy to have you.” He dropped her hand and stepped back out of the way. “…If you feel comfortable with that.”</p><p>A teasing smile snaked its way across her lips as she entered his apartment. “Are you going to try to flirt with me some more if I accept your generous offer?”</p><p>“Only if that’s something you want to happen,” Adrien answered in total seriousness. “I don’t want to make you feel unsafe or uncomfortable.”</p><p>Marinette’s eyes widened for a split second in surprise before softening, a genuinely touched smile replacing the playful one. “Thank you, Adrien. Don’t worry. I’ll be sure to let you know if anything crosses a line. As of right now, flirting is welcome. I’m not promising anything <em>more</em> than flirting at this point…but flirting is good.”</p><p>Adrien gulped, nodding to keep from having to produce a verbal response (of which he didn’t feel himself capable at that moment).</p><p>With another bow and an outstretched arm, Adrien showed Marinette into his apartment, suddenly grateful that he’d thought to clean up that afternoon.</p><p>Marinette looked around in awe at the open floor plan, the streamlined kitchen to the left of the entranceway and the living area beyond that with the long couch, big screen TV, and wall of windows.</p><p>“Wow,” she breathed, taking it all in. “Your apartment is ginormous.”</p><p>Adrien frowned in confusion. “Isn’t your apartment the same size?”</p><p>She shook her head, smiling ironically. “Not when you share it with three other people. Do <em>you</em> have a roommate?”</p><p>“Nope. All by my lonesome,” Adrien replied with an easy shrug, ushering Marinette into the kitchen area where his phone charger was still lying on one of the counters by his laptop from when he’d synched his music earlier that day.</p><p>There was a long, low growl of contradiction from Plagg who had been sleeping peacefully on the couch up until that point.</p><p>“Correction,” Adrien chuckled. “All by my lonesome except for my cat, Plagg.”</p><p>Plagg jumped up onto the back of the couch and then down to the floor, lazily making his way over to the humans. Using the bar stools as steppingstones, he hopped his way up onto the countertop and let out an indignant “mrow”.</p><p>“Aww,” Marinette cooed. “What a sweetie.” She looked back eagerly at Adrien. “Can I pet him?”</p><p>Adrien shrugged. “If he’ll let you. He’s kind of a sourpuss.”</p><p>Marinette reached out tentatively, slowly encroaching upon Plagg’s space so that he could pull away if he didn’t want to be touched.</p><p>Unexpectedly, he didn’t protest and even leaned into Marinette’s hand, rubbing himself against her fingers and purring.</p><p>“Aww,” Marinette repeated.</p><p>Adrien put his hands on his hips, snorting, “Oh, sure, Plagg. You give all my friends the stink-eye, but you have no problem sucking up to a pretty girl. I see how it is.”</p><p>Plagg gave a kittenish mew in response, laying the loveable act on thick.</p><p>Marinette laughed. “Maybe Plagg just knows when he’s found his kind of people.”</p><p>Adrien sighed and shrugged, knowing when to admit defeat. “Maybe. I guess I’ll just be glad that he likes you.”</p><p>He decided to take his cat’s approval as a good sign. After all, Plagg had hated all of Adrien’s past girlfriends. Apparently, the cat knew a thing or two.</p><p>“He’s a sweetie,” Marinette declared again. “And he has such beautiful green eyes. He obviously takes after his father.”</p><p>When Adrien’s brain caught up and realized that she meant <em>him</em>, his face turned a vibrant rose color. “Oh, are you flirting with <em>me</em> now?” he chuckled. “I have to say, you’re a lot better at it than I am.”</p><p>She waved away his concern. “Please. You’re doing just fine. I mean, I’m in your apartment, aren’t I?”</p><p>Adrien counterfeited a thoughtful expression. “Does that really count when you’re only here because you need my phone charger?”</p><p>Marinette shrugged, rubbing gently at Plagg’s ears.</p><p>Adrien was kind of jealous. He wanted <em>his</em> ears rubbed.</p><p>“It counts for something. I’m desperate for a phone charger, but I wouldn’t just walk into <em>any</em> stranger’s apartment to get one. The fact that I’m here is worth some points in your favour.”</p><p>“Fair enough. I’ll take it,” he decided. “Now, speaking of phone chargers…”</p><p>He grabbed his off the counter and plugged it into the wall socket. With an over-the-top bow, he stepped back. “If My Lady pleases.”</p><p>Marinette giggled, cheeks lighting up once again. She gave Plagg one last pat before turning to curtsy at Adrien. “Thank you very much, Kind Sir. I’m forever in your debt.” She stepped forward, fished her phone out of her pocket, and plugged it in with a sigh of relief.</p><p>She turned back to him with a smile of honest gratitude. “Seriously. Thank you, Adrien. I tend to overact, so I was really freaking out about not being able to call anyone and having an accident and dying.”</p><p>He reached out and touched her upper arm gently, giving her a calming smile. “Hey, no worries. For real. I’m happy to help. I’m just glad I was home when you knocked.”</p><p>“That makes two of us,” she chuckled, raising a hand.</p><p>At first, he thought she was about to touch his cheek, and his heartrate skyrocketed, but it turned out she was just reaching up to tuck a stray bang back behind her ear. He couldn’t help the wave of bitter disappointment that washed over him at that.</p><p>He covered his emotions up with a cordial smile. “Can I get you something to drink? A snack? It might take an hour or two for your phone to charge, so…”</p><p>“That would be nice. Thank you. What do you have?” She inclined her head slightly to the side, and it was the most charming thing.</p><p>He swallowed. “Uh…I’m not sure, actually.” He went over to the fridge and opened the double doors. “Evian and Perrier, grapefruit juice, orange juice, milk, Merlot… Anything sound good?”</p><p>“If you have milk, I could make my special hot chocolate for us,” Marinette offered. “Do you like hot chocolate?”</p><p>Adrien nodded eagerly. “Yeah, that would be great.”</p><p>“Perfect!” she cheered. “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll run to my flat to get my mix, and then I’ll be right back.”</p><p>She was halfway to the door when she turned back to ask, “Do you happen to like pastries?”</p><p>“I don’t actually get pastries often, but I haven’t met a pastry I didn’t like yet,” Adrien replied honestly.</p><p>“Wonderful. I’ll bring over some pastries for us to snack on too,” she sang, a skip in her step as she set out on her mission.</p><p>She was back in less than five minutes with a little glass jar and a plastic container of pastries. “These are from my parents’ bakery. Have you heard of Tom and Sabine’s over by Notre Dame?”</p><p>Adrien’s eyes widened in awe. “Wait. Tom and Sabine are your <em>parents</em>?”</p><p>“Mmhm.” Marinette nodded as she went over to the fridge and pulled out the milk. “Get me three mugs, please.”</p><p>Adrien went to the cabinet and did as asked.</p><p>“I grew up above the bakery, and my parents still live there,” she informed, taking one of the mugs and pouring in the milk.</p><p>“Do you get to see them much?” Adrien asked, trying to make conversation but not really used to talking about parents. “That’s not too far away from here.”</p><p>Marinette nodded as took the mug with the milk over to the microwave and set it for a minute and a half. “I typically visit on weekends and holidays. It’s nice to go home and be pampered.” She went back to the island in the center of the kitchen and opened up the glass jar she’d brought with her.</p><p>“That does sound nice,” Adrien sighed longingly. He had never had that experience with going home.</p><p>“Where are your spoons, please?” She smiled sheepishly.</p><p>“Here.” He pulled out a drawer to the left of the fridge. “Take your pick.”</p><p>“Thanks.” She had to come into his personal space to grab the spoons out of the drawer, and Adrien’s heart leap at the feel of the air she disturbed with the motion.</p><p>Her smile took on a mischievous quality when her eyes caught his.</p><p>He gulped.</p><p>She turned slowly and walked leisurely back over to the island, knowing full well that his eyes were locked on her, watching her walk away.</p><p>A thought occurred to him: “How come you’re not with your parents for New Year’s?”</p><p>Marinette shrugged, taking one of the spoons and using it to transfer two heaps of the hot chocolate powder from the jar to each of the mugs. “They actually left this morning to go visit family in Lille. They’ll be back this weekend, so I’ll see them again then, but they stopped by before they left to see me and drop off the pastries.”</p><p>“That was really nice of them,” Adrien remarked as the timer on the microwave went off.</p><p>“Mmhm. My parents are really great,” Marinette agreed with an affectionate smile. “Could you grab that, please?” She motioned with her head to the microwave.</p><p>He took the mug of hot milk out and carefully brought it over to the island.</p><p>“Thank you.” She took it from him cautiously.</p><p>Adrien had to hold in a shudder of pleasure as her hands touched his. Maybe it was just that he’d been starved of affection for months (years), even before the breakup, but this girl was making him lose his head. Something about her made him want to collapse into her arms and declare himself hers until the end of time.</p><p>Maybe it was the fantastical situation: two strangers brought together by fate and sharing an instant attraction, but Adrien was a hopeless romantic, and his imagination was already running away with him.</p><p>“You’re close to your parents, aren’t you?” he asked offhandedly as he watched her spoon some of the hot milk into the mug with the chocolate powder.</p><p>“I’m lucky,” she responded softly, smooshing the powder and the milk into a paste before adding the rest of the milk and stirring it up. “I’ve always had a really good relationship with my parents.”</p><p>Adrien nodded, wishing he could say the same. “I’m happy for you,” he said instead, able to mean it. He <em>was</em> happy that she had parents who loved and took care of her. It was exactly what he’d want for her.</p><p>“Thanks.” She pushed the first mug of hot chocolate in front of him before setting out to repeat the process for her own cup.</p><p>“Careful not to burn yourself,” she cautioned as Adrien eagerly lifted the mug to his lips.</p><p>Slowing down, he tentatively took a sip and was instantly blown away. “Oh, wow. Marinette, this is really good.” He blew on the beverage and then took another, greedier drink.</p><p>She beamed in delight at his obvious enjoyment. “That’s my Dupain-Cheng Special Hot Chocolate. I’m glad it meets with your approval.”</p><p>“What makes it special?” Adrien couldn’t help his curiosity as he got out plates for the pastries.</p><p>Marinette clicked her tongue, taking off the lid off of the pastry container. “It’s a secret known only by my immediate family. I can’t tell you.”</p><p>Adrien pursed his lips as he set down the plates. “…What about if I married you?”</p><p>She laughed and pushed the pastries towards him so that he could pick first. “You’d marry for a hot chocolate recipe?”</p><p>“It’s <em>good</em> hot chocolate,” he snorted, picking out a pain au chocolat from the container and biting into it.</p><p>Even though it was slightly past its prime, it was still flakey and chewy, and the semisweet chocolate melted in his mouth, coating his tongue with a heavenly taste.</p><p>He nearly moaned in ecstasy. Even now that he was no longer living with his father and could actually choose what he ate, Adrien still didn’t get desserts often enough.</p><p>“Good pastries too,” he added to his list of Marinette’s benefits. “I don’t know. I think I would have to be a fool not to marry a pretty, kind-hearted girl with such assets.”</p><p>“We’re still talking about the hot chocolate and the baked goods, right?” Marinette snickered.</p><p>Adrien’s cheeks flushed, and he averted his eyes. “Yes, of course. I mean…your other assets are quite impressive as well, but…”</p><p>She laughed as she turned to get the second mug of milk from the microwave. “Glad to know someone thinks I’m a nice package deal.”</p><p>“Definitely,” Adrien confirmed, not sure if they were joking or being serious or an odd mix of something in between. What he did know was that he wanted to get to know her better and then take her out on at least one date. He’d revisit the marriage option after that, but he was already optimistic.</p><p>A troubled expression suddenly came over Marinette’s face as she mushed the chocolate powder and the warm milk together to make a paste for her own drink. “Do you ever worry about people taking advantage of you?”</p><p>Adrien frowned, echoing, “Taking advantage of me?”</p><p>She nodded, mixing the rest of the milk in and stirring. “Like…do you ever worry that people are just trying to get close to you because you’re famous, you have a lot of money, and your father’s powerful?”</p><p>“Oh.” Adrien brought his mug up to his lips and sighed. “Well…yeah. Most of the time. I mean, I kind of just assume going into a new acquaintanceship that the other person isn’t interested so much in me as in what they can get from me, but…I guess I’m used to people taking advantage of me, so I don’t have to actively worry about it anymore. I just expect it on the front end.” He shrugged. He had learned to accept it years ago.</p><p>Marinette winced, stopping in the middle of stirring her hot chocolate. “Do you think <em>I’m</em> just trying to use you?”</p><p>“Oh.” He set down his mug and reached for her hand. “No, Marinette.”</p><p>Her eyes widened as he gave her hand a squeeze.</p><p>“Well,” he chuckled, “technically, you <em>are</em> using me for my phone charger, but…no. I didn’t mean you. You’re not like most people. You’re not just humoring my sad attempts at flirting because you hope to get something out of me.”</p><p>Marinette bit her lip and looked away, but she didn’t pull her hand back from his.</p><p>“Uh-oh.” Adrien playfully cocked an eyebrow, manufacturing levity, but, on the inside, he <em>was</em> a touch nervous. “Did I get it wrong? <em>Are</em> you just humoring me in hopes of getting something?”</p><p>“No, no,” she assured, shaking her head. She did pull her hand away then so that she could press it against the comforting warmth of her mug. “I had no clue whose door I was knocking on earlier. And you <em>are</em> cute and funny, and I <em>do</em> actually like you. It’s just…”</p><p>“What?” he pressed gently, voice soft.</p><p>She looked up at him uncertainly. “I’m kind of afraid you’ll think I was just lying before about not wanting to use you if I tell you that I’m a big fan of your father’s work and I’m trying to be a fashion designer.”</p><p>Adrien’s lips formed a silent “o”.</p><p>“See?” Marinette groaned, grabbing a strawberry tarte and taking a big bite. “Doesn’t that look bad? I wouldn’t blame you if you thought I’d made the whole thing about my phone charger up as an excuse to get closer to you.”</p><p>Adrien winced. “Yeah. Someone else might think this was just an elaborate scheme, but…I believe you.”</p><p>She frowned skeptically. “You do? You don’t think I’m some gold-digging shrew?”</p><p>He laughed and shook his head. “No. You don’t strike me as the type.”</p><p>Her eyes narrowed further. “Are you any good at judging people’s characters?”</p><p>“No, but my cat is, and Plagg likes you,” he pointed out with a disarming smile.</p><p>Marinette nodded, seemingly satisfied. “Okay. I just…I didn’t want you to think…” She pursed her lips. “…Because I <em>am</em> an ambitious person, and there’s a lot that I’ll do to get ahead. Most of that is hard work, but I’m not above using connections and flattering people I don’t like if it will be to my advantage. What I will <em>never</em> do, however, is be in a relationship with someone I don’t actually like. If I marry, it will be because I’m in love…. Just to be clear.”</p><p>“Noted,” Adrien hummed thoughtfully. “So…I have to get you to fall in love with me if I want that hot chocolate recipe. Is that what you’re trying to tell me?”</p><p>She broke out into a laugh, slapping at him playfully, shaking her head. “You’re impossible.”</p><p>“I’m okay with that if it gets you to smile,” he replied in a little too honest of a tone, showing his hand.</p><p>She looked at him then intently, studying his face: mouth, nose, eyes.</p><p>Adrien couldn’t look away. It was as if he were pinned to the spot like a butterfly specimen, trapped in her gaze.</p><p>“I’m really glad I knocked on your door,” she whispered finally. “Really, really glad. You have no idea how badly I needed to meet you.”</p><p>He swallowed hard. “Yeah,” he murmured. “Maybe I’m jumping the gun a little…but I think you might be what I’ve been missing in life.”</p><p>A hesitant smile slowly tugged at her lips. “But…you don’t really know me.”</p><p>“I’ve got a good feeling,” he assured, quick to return her grin.</p><p>She rolled her eyes. “I thought you said you weren’t good at judging people’s characters.”</p><p>“Yeah, but that’s what I have Plagg for.” Adrien waved away her protestations. “Sorry. I’m a horrible host. May I offer you a seat?”</p><p>“Can we go sit on the couch?” she suggested hopefully. “It looks like you have a great view from there.”</p><p>“Absolutely. As my princess commands.” With a little bow he began to gather their things and transfer them to the coffee table between the couch and the TV.</p><p>“I could get used to being a princess,” Marinette chuckled, grabbing her mug and plate.</p><p>“You should,” he replied with a wink.</p><p>Marinette felt her heart flutter for not the first time that evening. She hoped she wasn’t the only one feeling this.</p><p>“…So,” Adrien remarked once they’d both gotten settled on the couch. “You were right when you said that I don’t know you well yet. I’d like to fix that as soon as humanly possible because you’re incredibly interesting, funny, and gorgeous, and it is a sin that we’ve been living down the hall from one another and yet I didn’t know your name before today.”</p><p>“You don’t pull your punches, do you?” Marinette chuckled, smiling over the lip of her hot chocolate mug.</p><p>“Nope. I dive headfirst into things,” Adrien replied with a carefree shrug. “So…what’s your story?”</p><p>“My story?” Marinette asked thoughtfully. “Hm. My story…. I told you I’m a bakers’ daughter. My dad is the main baker, but my mom is hell on wheels with a bread peel too, so you would think I’d be a natural in the kitchen, but I’m not. I can hold my own, but I was never good enough that my parents ever thought of leaving the business to me.”</p><p>“Are you sad about that?” For Adrien, it was a radical concept, a parent thinking about what their child was best suited to before forcing a family business upon them.</p><p>Marinette shook her head. “The bakery was never my dream. I helped out growing up, and I still help on the weekends sometimes, but no one ever had any delusions of the bakery being more than a one-generation thing. Maybe when I was <em>really</em> little, but not since I can remember.”</p><p>“So what do you do now?” he prompted her to continue. “You said you wanted to be a fashion designer? How’s that going?”</p><p>Marinette winced. “Well…it’s what I went to school for. I’ve had internships, and I’ve won at least one or two contests per year this last decade, but…”</p><p>“Wait,” he interrupted. “Do you mind me asking how old you are? You still look really young, so the fact that you’ve been winning contests for a decade is a little mind-blowing for me.”</p><p>Marinette blushed, waving away his praise. “Please. In the world of fame, I’m stale bread. I’m not so young anymore.”</p><p>Adrien snorted. “You can’t be any older than I am.”</p><p>She shook her head. “You’re a man. There’s a completely different set of rules for men. You’ll still be hot in your sixties. Meanwhile, I’ll be coloring my hair and getting Botox and spending <em>hours</em> a day trying to make myself look like I’m still in my twenties. Women aren’t allowed to get old.”</p><p>He set down his hot chocolate mug and took her by the hand. “See, that’s when you cash in on your rich, famous husband who still looks hot in his sixties. If he’s with you, you’ve got to have something going on, right?”</p><p>Marinette sighed, giving Adrien’s hand a squeeze. “You’re working really hard trying to get your hands on that hot chocolate recipe, aren’t you?”</p><p>He smiled sheepishly.</p><p>She gave in and smiled back. “Thanks, but I don’t ever want to have to rely on my partner like that. Riding on someone’s coattails has never felt right to me.”</p><p>He nodded with a little sigh. “This is going to sound wrong, but I’ve seen your mom at the bakery before, and she’s still plenty attractive—not to me personally,” he quickly added when she gave him an odd look. “Just…in general. In general, your mother is attractive, so you’ve obviously got good aging genes. Judging by what I see before me today, I don’t think aging is something you need to worry about.”</p><p>“I’m going to be twenty-six in June,” she replied flatly.</p><p>“Aha!” he cried in triumph. “I thought we were about the same age. I’m going to be twenty-six in April.”</p><p>Observing that his guest wasn’t amused, he added, earnestly, “Marinette, you’re seriously gorgeous. Please don’t worry about a silly number.”</p><p>Her expression slowly thawed, and while she still didn’t smile, she at least began to look noticeably less sullen. “All right,” she finally agreed.</p><p>He grinned, feeling like he’d won as he slid back into their conversation. “So…now that we’ve established that you’ve been winning contests since you were fifteen, do you mind me asking why you’re not some big-name designer already?”</p><p>Marinette shrugged, sinking back into the couch. “I just haven’t caught on anywhere. I don’t have any money to launch my own stuff on a large scale, and what I do is good, but it doesn’t really seem to fit what anyone is looking for at the moment. I’ve interned for a lot of different houses. I’ve even gotten paid positions sometimes, but it’s just been copying the styles of the designers I’ve worked for, trying to make something that looks like their established brand. I guess that’s what working in fashion is, but…that’s not what I want. That’s not what I dreamed of when I was little or when I was in school. I want to share my own ideas with the world and put <em>my</em> name on them…. It just doesn’t seem to be working.”</p><p>“So…what are you doing right now?” Adrien asked tentatively, sensing her developing morose mood and not wanting to make it any worse.</p><p>She laughed mirthlessly. “Floundering, honestly. I have a paid position at a medium-sized fashion house. I’m just an assistant…a seamstress. I spend my days hand-sewing individual sequins or beads or feathers or whatever onto skirts, bodices, trousers, and accessories. Whatever needs done.”</p><p>Adrien winced. “That sounds…thankless.”</p><p>“It is,” she assured him. “Except when they have me do embroidery. That’s where I really shine.”</p><p>“Oh?” Adrien leaned forward in interest, glad to hear the mood in her voice lifting.</p><p>She nodded, starting to beam with pride once more. “Everyone wants <em>me</em> to do the flower details on their looks. I embroider lifeless, scentless flowers with colors so vivid, details so crisp that you would swear they were alive. My flowers are so realistic, you can almost smell them. I can’t tell you how many times they’ve told me, ‘Ladybug, I can <em>smell</em> those lilacs’ or ‘Ladybug must be embroidering because it smells like a garden in here’.”</p><p>“Wow,” Adrien chuckled. “Really?”</p><p>Marinette nodded, holding up her arm so that he could see the embroidery she’d done on her sweater sleeve.</p><p>It looked like a row of lovely pink cherry blossoms were miraculously growing out of the fabric, summoning up the spring he’d gone flower viewing in Kyoto. He could swear he smelled the blossoms.</p><p>“Wow,” he reiterated, blown away by her yet again. “You weren’t exaggerating.”</p><p>She shook her head, unable to hide the satisfaction in her smile.</p><p>“That’s amazing, Marinette. You’re…” He motioned, encapsulating all of her. “…so amazing. How are you even real?”</p><p>“You’re that impressed by embroidery?” she laughed, enjoying the fact that he was making a fuss over her.</p><p>“Not just the embroidery,” he assured. “Though, that is <em>magic</em>. I’m impressed by…” He shook his head. “All of you. And the fact that you’re sitting on my couch right now of all places. How did I get so lucky?” he chuckled, running a hand through his hair. “How are you here and talking to me and single?”</p><p>Marinette winced. “Well. I think the answer to all of those questions is fate or dumb luck. I…” She looked away from him, gazing instead out the expansive window at Paris at night. “I had a boyfriend for a long time.”</p><p>“Oh,” Adrien whispered, suddenly finding the joy sucked out of the moment at the hint of her past misfortune. “Sorry.”</p><p>Marinette shook her head. “Now I’m starting to see that it was for the best that it ended, but I was messed up over it for a long time. This past year since it’s ended, I’ve kind of been treading water, stuck in place, not really sure where to go, but…just the past month I’ve been realizing that I have to move on, not keep my life on hold forever.”</p><p>“Still…I’m sorry you had to go through that,” he whispered, not wanting to disturb the reflective mood she’d fallen into.</p><p>“Thanks,” she mumbled. “…You’re not asking what happened.”</p><p>“Do you want me to? I didn’t want to pry,” he explained. “I figured you’d tell me if you felt like it.”</p><p>Marinette nodded, liking his answer. “Ask me.”</p><p>“What happened?”</p><p>“He cheated on me and left me for another guy,” she sighed.</p><p>“Ouch,” Adrien hissed.</p><p>“Well…” She bit her lip. “Sorry. It’s easier for me to think of him leaving me for a man, since that would mean that there was nothing I could have done better to make him stay, but…the person he left me for, he—<em>they</em>—Sorry. I’m trying to get better about the pronouns thing. <em>They</em> are gender fluid, so…it was just a bit of a shock and a lot to get over. There was a long time that I thought that it was my fault he left, so…sometimes I still feel like that.”</p><p>She suddenly turned back to face him. “Sorry. Is this too much? I didn’t mean to just throw all this at you. I didn’t mean to be such a downer on New Year’s Eve. It’s just, you asked for my story, and you’re so easy to talk to, so…I kind of got carried away.”</p><p>“No, not at all,” he insisted, waving his hands to assure her. “I’m a <em>huge</em> fan of oversharing. I like knowing everyone’s sob stories and dirty secrets. It makes people seem…more real…authentic.”</p><p>“How so more real?” she wondered, scooting closer on the couch.</p><p>“Well…” He mentally searched for the right way to explain it. “Usually, the people I meet, they present such a perfect, curated veneer. It’s like…you can never get to know someone’s true self because they always keep it hidden. So I feel like I know you better now than some people I’ve been acquainted with for years.”</p><p>“Ooooh.” She nodded, understanding. “So…is it your turn to tell me <em>your</em> story? In the interest of mutual disclosure.”</p><p>He blushed. “My story is boring. In the interest of time, I’ll give you the Cliff’s Notes version. My mother disappeared when I was thirteen, and my father treats me more like an employee than a son. I don’t want to take over my father’s business. I’d rather run away and join the circus. I’m totally serious. I would love to be a lion tamer or do stunts on horseback. Even being a clown would be fun.” Adrien’s face fell. “But I have to take over the company.”</p><p>Marinette scooted in closer until her knee was touching his. She set her hand down on his thigh.</p><p>He smiled and shrugged. “Nothing I do is ever good enough. I’m a huge disappointment. No one is really interested in me for me; they just want my money, fame, or influence, and my latest girlfriend just dumped me a month ago because I’m too needy and damaged.” He tried to play it off as unimportant with another shrug. “She went into the relationship expecting the perfect veneer of Adrien Agreste that she’d met at dinner parties, and she was surprised when she found out that there was an actual human being with problems under there.”</p><p>“Oh, Adrien,” Marinette breathed, slipping her arms around him, tucking her head under his chin.</p><p>“That’s kind of how most of my relationships go,” he whispered, pulling her in closer and resting his cheek against the top of her head. “One way or another, I’m not good enough. So…just a heads up on the front end: I’m needy and damaged.”</p><p>“I need someone who needs me, so ‘needy’ isn’t necessarily a bad thing,” she informed. “…And damage can be fixed with time and care. I’ve got time and affection to spare, so that shouldn’t be a problem either.”</p><p>“Oh. Good,” Adrien chuckled softly, unable to believe his luck. “Because I’m really falling for you fast, Princess, so it would be rough if you changed your mind now.”</p><p>“No.” Her lips moving against his skin as she spoke sent shivers down his spine. “It’s like death to be alone in winter. I’m more than happy to give this a chance.”</p><p>He breathed a sigh of relief. “That makes two of us.”</p><p>They sat like that a long time, limbs intertwined in a comfortable tangle, sharing each other’s warmth.</p><p>They spoke now and again: trivial thoughts that popped into their heads, tangential memories, random facts about themselves.</p><p>Mostly, they gazed out the window at the steady snowfall and the twinkling lights of Paris, enjoying the happy sensation of being safe in someone else’s arms.</p><p>“Why didn’t you go with them?” Marinette asked when Adrien mentioned Nino and Luka’s invitation to Café Momus.</p><p>(It turned out that Nino was engaged to Marinette’s best friend and Marinette and Luka had actually dated when they were teenagers, so it was a wonder that Marinette and Adrien hadn’t meet already. Adrien took solace in the fact that, at the very least, they would have met at Nino and Alya’s wedding being the maid of honor and best man respectively.)</p><p>Adrien shrugged, giving her a shamefaced smile. “Too melancholy to go out and be around people. It’s hard to have to put on a cheerful front.”</p><p>Marinette nodded, and he could tell from her expression that she really did understand. “Yeah. I get that. It’s hard to pretend you’re okay so you don’t worry them…but you’re not feeling melancholy now, are you?”</p><p>“Absolutely not,” he confirmed.</p><p>“Would you want to go meet up with them now?” she asked tentatively.</p><p>His brow furrowed slightly. “Would that be with or without you?”</p><p>“With?” She smiled sheepishly, unsure if that was the right answer.</p><p>His face broke out into a wide grin. “I’d love to. I know it’s a little late, but I’ll buy you dinner and maybe a drink, if you’d like.”</p><p>“We’ll see about the drink,” she informed, getting up from the couch, “but dinner would be most welcome.”</p><p>He got to his feet and, with a little bow, offered her his arm. “Take my arm, My Princess, and I’ll escort you home to pick up your coat.”</p><p>Giggling, Marinette happily took his arm. Then, she leaned in and placed a feather-light kiss just to the side of his mouth. “Thank you.”</p><p>“You’re very welcome for whatever it is I did,” he assured, a goofy smile nearly splitting his face in half.</p><p>She shook her head, barely containing a dazzling smile of her own. “You answered the door and tried to flirt with me.”</p><p>He grimaced. “I feel like I got that part a little wrong.”</p><p>“No,” she promised him. “You got everything exactly right.”</p><p> </p><p>“How could I forget the day you first came here?” Adrien whispered softly, leaning in to press a firm kiss to his wife’s forehead. “That was the day you saved my life.”</p><p>Marinette smiled fondly, snuggling up against him and settling in for sleep. “Yeah. That was the day you saved mine too. …Thanks for opening the door.”</p><p>“Thanks for breaking your phone charger,” he whispered back, pulling her in closer.</p><p>The End</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So. Thoughts? Feelings? I hope you liked it. I had fun writing it, so I hope it was fun to read. Did you have a favourite part? A favourite line? I thought Adrien getting jealous of Plagg getting his ears rubbed was cute. (Am I allowed to weigh in as the author? ^.^;)</p><p>I actually wasn't expecting to write this. ^.^; I saw Puccini's opera for the first time two days ago, and this just...happened. It's okay if you've never heard of the opera before because it has no bearing on the story. Honestly, I pretty much just took the scenario of two neighbors meeting and falling in love and then going to meet the guy's friends and created my own story and dialogue surrounding Marinette and Adrien in that framework. For those who are interested, below is the list of things that I borrowed and how I modified them. </p><p>What's Similar and What's Different:<br/>- "Do you remember when I first came here?" Mimi asks Rodolfo as she is dying and looking back on happier times.<br/>- "Café Momus" is the name of the café from the opera.<br/>- The opera takes place on Christmas Eve, but I've moved my story to New Year's Eve.<br/>- "They call me Mimi. I don’t know why. My name is Lucia."<br/>- Mimi asks Rodolfo to light her candle because it's gone out as she ascends the stairs to her flat. I subbed in a phone charger because that's how we roll nowadays.<br/>- In Act One, Mimi introduces herself as a seamstress who embroiders flowers with no scent. In Act Three, she refers to “lifeless flowers”. I’ve kind of conflated the two lines. Marinette's flowers are different because they look so realistic that they make you think you can smell them. Mimi's flowers were just lifeless stitches on fabric in the opera.<br/>- In Act Three, Mimi says, “It’s like death to be alone in winter”, and she and Rodolfo decide to stay together until spring when at least the sunshine can keep them company. I'm working off of the English subtitles because my Italian isn't good enough to translate sung Italian, but I liked this line, so I stole it outright instead of paraphrasing or alluding like I've done elsewhere in my story.<br/>- When Rodolfo escorts Mimi to go meet his friends, he says, “Take my arm, my darling”. The host introducing the broadcast of the opera said “my princess” in his summary of the first act, and I went with it because it suited me.</p><p>So, yeah. That's what I took from Puccini. The rest is purely my fault. ^.^;</p><p>Thank you for joining me, guys! Take care!</p><p>Because I am shameless, once again, my Tumblr: https://mikauzoran.tumblr.com/</p><p>References:<br/>Puccini's Opera: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_boh%C3%A8me<br/>Scenes of Bohemian Life: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scenes_of_Bohemian_Life</p></blockquote></div></div>
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